3D display device and an electronic device with the same

ABSTRACT

A 3D display device includes two display portions ( 200, 201 ) each having a display for generating a particular image thereon. The two display portions are substantially symmetrically arranged. Images associated with the two display portions are slightly different from each other. An electronic device includes a main body ( 10 ) and an above-described display device ( 20 ). The display device is rotatably connected to the main body. The 3D display device and the electronic device with the 3D display device can provide 3D images directly and also provide 2D images to with a person via a naked eye. In addition, the 3D display device and the electronic device are very simple in construction and easily manufactured.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to display devices and, moreparticularly, to a 3D (three-dimensional) display device and anelectronic device with the display.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

With the rapid development of communication technology, mobile phoneshave become a commonplace communication tool in the life of people, as awhole. Nowadays, more and more mobile phones have color displays anddeliver multimedia messages. As a result, high-quality imaging systems,which can clearly and realistically display images and/or messages,should, advantageously, be provided. A system which can display 3Dimages has the potential to be popular with consumers since mostpresent-day displays are limited to 2D (two-dimensional).

A person's two eyes can see objects respectively. Because there is adistance between the two eyes, images of an object that are perceived inthe two eyes are slightly different. This difference in the perceivedimages is called parallax. The brain of a person combines the twodifferent images, thereby generating a composite 3D image. That is, theperson sees a 3D object.

In conjunction with the above theory, 3D shutter glasses have beenproduced and made available. A controller controls signals, which aresent to a display of a computer or a mobile phone. Left eye signals andright eye signals are sent alternately so that the display generatesleft eye images and right eye images accordingly. Correspondingly,shutters of the 3D shutter glasses are controlled to selectively coverthe left eye and right eye, respectively. Thereby, the left eye sees theleft images and the right eye sees the right images, alternately. Peoplecan see/perceive 3D images for persistence of vision. There are someshortcomings with such a shutter system. Firstly, it is inconvenient towear the 3D shutter glasses. Secondly, people without 3D shutter glasseswould tend to see ghost images on the display, which would appearabnormal.

What is needed, therefore, is a display device, which can provide 3Dimages and 2D images directly to people with the naked eye.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A 3D display device includes two display portions each capable ofgenerating an image. The two display portions are symmetricallyarranged. Images displayed by each of the two display portions areslightly different.

An electronic device includes a main body and a display device. Thedisplay device includes two display portions, each configured forgenerating a separately controllable image. The two display portions aresymmetrically arranged, and the display device, as a whole, is rotatablyconnected to the main body. Images displayed by each of the two displayportions are slightly different.

The 3D display device and the electronic device with the 3D displaydevice can provide 3D images directly and also provide 2D images topeople with the naked eye. Therefore, it is very convenient. Inaddition, the 3D display device and the electronic device are verysimple and are easily manufactured.

Other advantages and novel features of preferred embodiments of thepresent 3D display device will become more apparent from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the electronic device with a 3D display can be betterunderstood with reference to the following drawings. The components inthe drawings are not necessarily to scale, the emphasis instead beingplaced upon clearly illustrating the principles of the electronic devicewith a 3D display. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of an electronic device with a 3Ddisplay, in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an assembled, isometric view of the electronic device with a3D display of FIG. 1, showing one state;

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2, but shows another state with the displayportion rotated 90° relative to the state seen in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a top view imaging schematic, employing the 3D display of FIG.2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A 3D display is shown and detailed as follows for the purposes ofproviding a simple description of the preferred embodiment. The present3D display and embodiments thereof are not to be construed as beinglimited to the following description. Referring to FIG. 1, a mobilephone 3 includes a main body 10 and a display device 20.

The main body 10 includes a keypad portion 100, a base portion 102, aconnecting portion 104, an extending portion 106, and a nut 108. With aplurality of keys (not labeled) thereon, the keypad portion 100 isapproximately cuboid-shaped (i.e., approximately a rectangularparallelepiped). The base portion 102 is formed at one end of the keypadportion 100 for supporting the mobile phone 3. The connecting portion104 is formed at another end of the keypad portion 100, opposite to thebase portion 102. The extending portion 106 is approximatelycuboid-shaped. The extending portion 106 is connected to the keypadportion 100 by the connecting portion 104. The connecting portion 104and the extending portion 106 together can be considered to constitute aconnective unit 105, allowing the display device 20 to be mountedrelative to the keypad portion 100/main body 10. The keypad portion 100is upward sloping, and the extending portion 106 is vertical relative tothe base portion 102. A through hole 107 is defined substantiallycentrally in the extending portion 106. The through hole 107 has twosections with different diameters, and a step 109 is formed at the jointof the two sections. The nut 108 defines a “+” shaped slot (not labeled)in one face thereof and a hole (not shown) in the center of the opposingface. The “+” shaped slot is configured for receiving a Phillips screwdriver head and/or a flat screw driver head. Alternately, the slot couldbe shaped solely for receiving a flat screw driver head. The nut 108 hasa screw thread in the hole.

The display device 20 includes a first display portion 200, a seconddisplay portion 201, and a middle portion 202. The middle portion 202 isa rectangle-shaped board. A columnar pole or post 203 is formed on themiddle portion 202 in the center thereof. The outside wall of the pole203 has a screw thread 205 on an end thereof opposite the middle portion202. The pole 203 is inserted into the nut 108 and engages with the nut108 by the mating screw threads. Each of the first display portion 200and the second display portion 201 has a display and a microlens array(not shown). The first and second display portions 200, 201 areconnected to two opposite ends/sides of the middle portion 202 by afirst hinge 204 and a second hinge 206, respectively. The first andsecond display portions 200, 201 are separately rotatable relative tothe middle portion 202, and can rest at any position, within angularlimits of hinges 204, 206, respectively. The microlens arrays are usedto focus incidence lights of the displays of the first and seconddisplay portion 200, 201 in order that lights which should enter theleft eye do not enter the right eye and lights which should enter theright eye do not enter the left eye.

In assembly, the pole 203 of the display device 20 is inserted into thethrough hole 107 of the main body 10, and the display device 20 isassembled onto the main body 10. Then, the nut 108 is screwed on thepole 203 of the display device 20. The step 109 of the main body 10stops the nut 108 from protruding further into the main body 10 from aside thereof, next to the display device 20. Thereby, the display device20 is connected to the main body 10, and the display device 20 isrotatably connected relative to the main body 10 along an axis of thepole 203.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first and second display portions 200, 201 arepositioned substantially symmetrically at two sides of the middleportion 202, and an obtuse angle (advantageously 140°˜175°) existsbetween the middle portion 202 and both the first and second displayportions 200, 201. Accordingly, the first and second display portions200, 201 are also at an obtuse angle relative to one another,beneficially 130°˜170°. The main body 10 is centrally below the firstand second display portions 200, 201 (i.e., directly below the middleportion 202). In this state, a person's two eyes correspond to the firstand second display portions 200, 201, respectively. Therefore, the lefteye tends to see images of the second display portion 201 predominantly,if not only, and the right eye tends to see images of the first displayportion 200 predominantly, if not only, when a distance between the eyesand the respective displays is appropriate. Specifically, there is anangular preference for one eye to see one of portions 200, 201significantly better than the other. For example, when the displayportions 200, 201 are obtusely angled in the manner shown, one's righteye will be able to see the left or first display portion 200 much moredirectly and thus more clearly than the second display portion 201. Theimages generated on the first and second display portion 200, 201 areslightly different with respect to each other. The images displayed byeach are individually controlled by a controller (not shown) in themobile phone 3. As such, the left and right eyes see different images,respectively. Thus, a person will see 3D images by management in his orher brain.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the display device 20 rotates 90° relative tothe main body 10 and the first display portion 200 accordingly rotatesto a position above the middle portion 202, the second display portion201 becomes hidden behind the main body 10. The angle between the firstdisplay portion 200 and the back (not labeled) of the middle portion 202is 180°. The mobile phone 3 shown in FIG. 3 is rotated counter-clockwisean angle of 90°. In this state, people can see 2D images on the displayof the first display portion 200 as usual.

Referring to FIG. 4, an angle between the middle portion 202 and each ofthe first and second display portions 200, 201 is “α”, a distance ofcenters of the first and second display portions 200, 201 is “H”, and adistance between the centers of two corresponding eyes is “S”. Anappropriate distance between the eyes and the displays is “D” when theleft eye sees images of the second display portion 201 only and theright eye sees images of the first display portion 200 only. It can beinferred that:β=180°−α,  (1);L=H/(2tgβ)+S/(2tgβ),  (2);L=H/(2tg(180°−α))+S/(2tg(180°−α)),  (3); andD=L+d=H/(2tg(180°−α))+S/(2tg(180°−α))+d.  (4).“H”, “S”, “α” and “d” are determined by the structure of the displaydevice 20. Therefore, if only a distance between the eyes and displays“L” satisfies the formula (4), people can see 3D images. Accordingly, ifpeople want to see 3D images at a different distance “D”, they canchange the angle “α” to accomplish such viewing.

In an alternative embodiment, the first and second display portions 200,201 and the middle portion 202 could be integrated into one, allowingthe first and second hinges to be omitted. The base portion 102 couldalso be omitted.

It is believed that the embodiments and their advantages will beunderstood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent thatvarious changes may be made thereto without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its materialadvantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferredor exemplary embodiments of the invention.

1. An electronic device comprising: a main body including a keypadportion and a connective unit, the connective unit including aconnecting portion and an extending portion, the connecting portionbeing formed at one end of the keypad portion to interconnect the keypadportion and the extending portion, the connective unit having a throughhole defined therein; and a display device comprising two displayportions and a middle portion, the middle portion connecting the twodisplay portions, the extending portion having the display devicemounted thereto, the middle portion of the display device having a poston one side thereof, the post extending through the through hole in theconnective unit, the display device thereby being rotatably connectedrelative to the connective unit via the post; wherein the two displayportions are substantially symmetrically arranged and the display deviceis rotatably connected, as a whole, relative to the main body, theimages generated by the two respective display portions being slightlydifferent relative to one another and produce a 3D image for the viewer.2. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extendingportion has a through hole defined therein, and the through hole has twosections with different diameters, the two sections thereby forming astep.
 3. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein thedisplay device further comprises two hinges configured for rotatablyconnecting the two respective display portions to the middle portion. 4.The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the post isthreadedly held in position relative to the connective unit with a nut.5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaydevice can rest in at least two positions relative to the main body, afirst position being defined such that the main body is locatedcentrally between and below the two display portions, the secondposition being such that the main body hides one of the two displayportions.